1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an open/close actuating mechanism control device and open/close actuating mechanism control method for a vehicle and, more particularly, to an open/close actuating mechanism control device and open/close actuating mechanism control method for a vehicle, which detect an open/close failure of an actuating mechanism that is exposed to outside air and that opens or closes on the basis of whether a predetermined condition is satisfied.
2. Description of Related Art
In an existing art, there is known an open/close actuating mechanism control device for a vehicle, in which a grill shutter is arranged at a vehicle body grill in terms of improvement of the aerodynamic performance, fuel economy performance, and the like, of the vehicle (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-163075 (JP-A-2010-163075)). The grill shutter is opened or closed in order to allow or interrupt introduction of air into a radiator on the basis of whether a predetermined condition is satisfied. For example, the grill shutter is opened or closed in order to improve fuel economy by ensuring appropriate cooling effect on the basis of the fluid and coolant temperatures and running speed of the vehicle.
Generally, an actuating mechanism that is exposed to outside air and that opens or closes on the basis of whether a predetermined condition is satisfied, as in the case of the above described grill shutter, may lock up against an open or close request. Factors that cause the actuating mechanism to lock up include a failure of a motor or mechanism that opens or closes the actuating mechanism, a break or short-circuit of motor wiring, entrapment of foreign matter, freezing of the motor or mechanism due to a decrease in outside air temperature, and the like. A failure of the motor or mechanism, and the like, remains unless the motor or the mechanism is repaired, the motor wiring is replaced or foreign matter is removed, while freezing of the motor or mechanism may be resolved by an increase in outside air temperature, warming-up, or the like. If it is determined whether an open/close failure of the actuating mechanism has occurred on the basis of a state where the actuating mechanism locks up against an open/close request on the basis of a uniform criterion without distinguishing the above described factors from one another, a determination that an open/close failure is occurring in the actuating mechanism is frequently made while the motor or the mechanism is frozen, so a notification of an open/close failure of the actuating mechanism is frequently provided to a vehicle passenger in cold climate areas, or the like, and the vehicle passenger may feel bothersome.